. Birds of California; an introduction to more than three hundred common birds of the state and adjacent islands, with a supplementary list of rare migrants, accidental visitants, and hypothetical subspecies . e and one-half minutes. Usually one can tell whatfood a nestling has swallowed by looking closely at itsdistended crop, as the contents are visible through the nearly transparent skiri. Butthese young Tanagers weretwenty feet from the ground ina slender fir, and I could notexamine them ; consequently Icould judge of the menuonly by the foraging of theadult, and by what I sawsticking out
. Birds of California; an introduction to more than three hundred common birds of the state and adjacent islands, with a supplementary list of rare migrants, accidental visitants, and hypothetical subspecies . e and one-half minutes. Usually one can tell whatfood a nestling has swallowed by looking closely at itsdistended crop, as the contents are visible through the nearly transparent skiri. Butthese young Tanagers weretwenty feet from the ground ina slender fir, and I could notexamine them ; consequently Icould judge of the menuonly by the foraging of theadult, and by what I sawsticking out of his he darted out intothe air and back again in fly-catcher fashion, I knew he wasafter a small insect. When hecame from the bushes with abunch on either side of his beak,I was sure he had picked up acaterpillar; when wings of gauzytexture projected on one side ofthe mandibles and a long blackbody on the other, I made a Yankee guess that a dragon-fly had been captured for breakfast. As soon as the nestlings were able to fly they camedown to the cover of the lower brush and fed in com-pany with their parents. We knew this by the anxietyof the adults and by their efforts to lead us away from. 607. Louisiana Tanager. A dragonfly had been cap-tured for breakfast. YELLOW OR ORANGE CONSPICUOUS 533 the immediate vicinity when we stumbled into it, but longand patient search revealed only one of the young was sitting on a low bush, looking as solemn as ayoung owl, and allowed us to go close to him. Exceptfor size he looked like a goldfinch nestling and was nomore timid than the latter. The adults moved anxiouslythrough the branches over our heads uttering plaintivecalls of fear and low purring notes of remonstrance withus or of reassurance to the young. I am convinced thatbut for their excitement he would have known no fear. Later, in August, small flocks of young Tanagers wereseen, in company with vireos, feeding among the pinetrees and evidently gathering for the
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Keywords: ., bookauthorwhee, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectbirds
